Opus toti christiane reipublice maxime utile, de arcanis catholice ueritatis, contra obstinatissimam iudeoru[m] nostre tempestatis p[er]fidiam: ex Talmud, aliisq[ue] hebraicis libris nuper excerptum [A Work Most Useful for the Christian Republic on the Secrets of the Catholic Truth, against the Hard-Hearted Wickedness of Our Jews, Newly Excerpted from the Talmud and Other Hebrew Books…], by Pietro Galatino. Ortona (Italy): Gershom Soncino, 1518. Latin and some Hebrew.
Between 1507 and 1509, the Jewish apostate Johannes Pfefferkorn published a number of anti-Jewish tracts; considering Jewish books, and especially the Talmud, to be "the source of all evil", he called to have them seized and destroyed. Due to his efforts, in 1509, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I ordered the confiscation of Jewish books by authorized agents. Pfefferkorn, in his capacity as the Frankfurt agent, immediately began carrying out the order. The confiscation of Jewish books aroused the opposition of several German scholars, who claimed that Christian truth was hidden in Jewish sources. The debate that developed eventually led the emperor to rescind the order.
This book is unique in being an anti-Jewish work printed by one of the leading Hebrew printers in Italy, Gershom Soncino. The book, authored by the Franciscan Hebraist and scholar Pietro Colonna Galatino, shows that Jewish texts contain hints to the Christian doctrine. Although the work was anti-Jewish, printing this book was a clever act on the part of Soncino who was trying to gain support for printing the Talmud from the more liberal movement within the Catholic church, to which Galatino belonged (see: Angelo Piattelli, New Documents Concerning Bomberg’s Printing of the Talmud, in: Mehevah le-Menahem: Studies in Honor of Menahem Hayyim Schmelzer, Jerusalem, The Schocken Institute for Jewish Research, 2019, pp. 171*-199*).
The book contains many Biblical and Talmudic quotes in Hebrew. The first page of each chapter is set within a woodcut border (this border was used in title pages of various Hebrew books printed by Gershom Soncino, such as Kol Bo, Rimini 1525-1526).
Gershom Soncino, one of the leading Hebrew printers, traveled with his printing equipment through various Italian cities. He printed three books in Ortona, including one in Hebrew. This is the first book he printed in Ortona.

Fine copy. CCCXI, [1] leaves. 30 cm. Good condition. Stains. Worming to title page and several other leaves, affecting title page border and text, repaired in part with paper. Tears to title page, affecting border, and minor open tear to one leaf, affecting text. Early parchment binding. Blemishes to binding.

Responsa of the Maharik, by R. Yosef Colon. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1519. First edition.
Colophon on the final page, stating that the book was completed on Wednesday, 22nd Adar 1519 by the sons of Baruch Adelkind for Daniel Bomberg of Antwerp.
R. Yosef Colon – the Maharik (ca. 1420 – 1480), leading Italian rabbi in the 15th century and prominent Halachic authority. Born in France to R. Shlomo, a descendant of Rashi. In his youth he travelled through various Italian towns, serving as a teacher of young children, and already then began issuing halachic rulings. He served as rabbi of Piedmont, where he established a yeshiva. Ca. 1430 he was appointed rabbi of Mantua. His prominent disciples include R. Ovadia of Bartenura, R. Eliyahu Delmedigo, R. Yisrael Ashkenazi, R. Azriel Diena, and others. The Maharik owned a particularly large library, including unknown anthologies of Tosafot and books of the Rishonim. In general, he mentions more books and textual versions than any other halachic authority.
Responsa of the Maharik was first published after his passing by his disciple R. Chiya Meir son of R. David. At the beginning of the book, the publisher listed "shorashim", a synopsis of each responsum, explaining in his foreword that since most of the responsa branch out to discuss side topics, he decided to pinpoint the main focus of each responsum. In time, the sections of this work were referred to as "shorashim". Several subsequent editions were published, with some variations. The publisher R. Chiya Meir writes that there are other responsa by the Maharik, which he was not able to obtain despite his efforts. Only in the last generation was the book published with the addition of several dozen responsa from a manuscript. Immediately after its publication, the book became a classic halachic work, and several years later, when R. Yosef Karo composed the Shulchan Aruch and based himself on it in many places, the book became one of the pillars of halachic ruling for the entire Jewish people (see: R. Y. Buxbaum, Toldot Rabbenu Yosef Colon VeShitato, introduction to Responsae and Decisions of Rabbi Joseph Colon, Machon Yerushalayim, Jerusalem 1999, pp. 19-49).
Ownership inscription on the title page: "…acquired with my money for the service of my Creator, Yitzchak son of Yosef". Glosses (some trimmed) by several writers on title page and other leaves.

[10], 233 leaves. 233 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Wear. Worming, affecting text. Tears, including marginal open tears to several leaves, not affecting text, repaired in part with paper. Handwritten inscriptions on title page. New leather binding.

Habermann, The Printer Daniel Bomberg, no. 16.

Five Books of the Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim. Antwerp: Christopher Plantin, 1573-[1574]. Two miniature volumes.
All 24 books of the Bible in their entirety, without vocalization and cantillation marks.
Two volumes, bound in elegant red, gilt-decorated leather bindings, with original decorative endpapers. The volumes are placed in original leather cases, with owner's initials: "R.L".

Two volumes. Vol. I (Torah and Neviim Rishonim): [2], 318 pages, [2] blank pages; 271 pages, [1] blank page. Vol. II (Neviim Acharonim and Ketuvim): 287 pages, [1] blank page; [1], 3-352 pages. Approx. 10 cm. Gilt edges. Most leaves in good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Tear to title page of vol. I (leaf mounted on paper for reinforcement), and open tears to title page of vol. II, affecting text. Minor tear to one leaf of vol. II, affecting text. Marginal worming to several leaves of vol. II. Leaves trimmed with minor damage to text in several places. Handwritten inscriptions on verso of title page of vol. II. Original leather bindings, in leather cases. Blemishes to bindings and cases.

Moreh Nevuchim by the Rambam, with the Shem Tov and HaEfodi commentaries. Venice: Alvise Bragadin, 1551. First edition of the commentaries.
The Rambam's great philosophical work, translated by R. Shmuel ibn Tibbon (the book was originally composed in Judeo-Arabic), first printed in Rome ca. 1470. The first edition of this work was one of the first Hebrew books to be printed. This is the second edition, including for the first time the famous commentaries to Moreh Nevuchim: Shem Tov – by R. Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, and HaEfodi – by R. Yitzchak Profiat Duran. The table of contents by R. Yehuda al-Harizi printed here is different from the one printed in the first edition.
The title page features Bragadin's printer's device, comprising three crowns (see: A. Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriim, Jerusalem 1944, image 18 and p. 131). This book was brought to print by Meir son of Yaakov Parenzo, and his foreword appears on the verso of the title page (regarding R. Meir Parenzo, see: A.M. Habermann, The Parenzo Printers in Venice, Areshet, I, 1959, pp. 61-90). At the end of the book, afterword by the proofreader Moshe son of R. Zecharya Katz of Corfu, with poems in praise of the book.
Signature on the title page, deleted and indistinct: "Leib Crailsh---" (possibly R. Leib Crailsheim, a Pressburg community leader, whose signature appears on community regulations dated 1740 – see enclosed material).
Two glosses on the first leaf of the glossary.
Censorship deletions. Censorship inscriptions on verso of the final leaf.

[12], 185, [1] leaves. 29.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Many stains, including dark stains and dampstains. Worming, slightly affecting the text of several leaves. Tears, including open tears, to title page and other leaves, repaired with paper. New leather binding.